The biggest supplier of French internationals in history with AS Monaco, OM played a historic match Tuesday evening against Union Saint-Gilloise, in Brussels (the Belgian champion hosts in the den of Anderlecht in C1). The Marseille team started the match with eleven foreign internationals for the first time in its history in the Champions League.
Roberto De Zerbi, Italian coach, lined up the Argentinian Geronimo Rulli, the Panamanian Amir Murillo, the Moroccan Nayef Aguerd, the Italian Emerson Palmieri, the Belgian Arthur Vermeeren, the Danes Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Matt O’Riley, the Englishman Mason Greenwood, the Brazilian Igor Paixao and the Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
We are talking about sporting nationality since Aubame (son of Pierre Aubame Eyang) is a Gabonese international obviously born in France, in Laval. He was first an international French hopeful before playing with the Panthers of his father’s country (his mother Margarita is of Spanish origin).
OM only have Pavard, Bakola and Vaz
Timothy Weah also holds French nationality. The son of George Weah, Liberian and football legend, is a New York native and American international. He arrived at the PSG training center at the age of 14. Let us also point out that Emerson is Brazilian and that O’Riley is a Londoner by birth (and a former English hopeful).
The OM squad only has one French international, Benjamin Pavard, who was relegated to the sidelines against the Belgian champion. The 2018 world champion is under suspension (against Liverpool in January) in the event of a yellow card. Darryl Bakola and Robinio Vaz play with the French youth selections. Geoffrey Kondogbia and Bilal Nadir were also born in France, in Nemours and Nice respectively, the defensive midfielder having five caps with the French team, from 2013 to 2016, before being able to represent the Central African Republic. “Kondo” literally has a sporting nationality since he played in two different national teams.
